Supporting means for electrical conductors



. Dern 27, 1927. 1,654,338

A. M. MacFARLAND SUPPORTING MEANS FOR ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Filed nec. 29. 192s C Jf-m Bf f ATT'oRNEY Patented Dec. Z7, 1927.

UNITEDI STATES ALLIS M. MAQFARLAND, OF WILXINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 'WESTING- HOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL-l VANIA.

SUPPORTING MEANS FOB ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOBS.

vApplication led December 29, 1923. Serial No. 683,401.

My invention relates to supports for electric conductors and particularly for electric 'conductors embodied in resistance units and electric heaters. A y

One object of my invention is to-provide a supporting means of the above-indicated character in which a minimum amount of material is employed, and another object is to provide a supporting means the parts of which may be manufactured and assembled in an economical and inexpensive manner. My invention comprises a strip or sheet of material provided .with perforations in which insulators are placed and retained in positionv byvmeans of bent-over flanges of the sheet material. v

In the accompanying drawin s, constituting a part hereof, and in whic likeireferfv ence characters indicatel like parts,

r Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of apresistance box in which my invention is' em'- PlOyed- .Fig.r2 is a side view of my conductor` su porting means, and, f

ig.` 3'A is a. sectional view'of my supporting means taken through the line III- III of Fi 'In y or frame having metal sides 1 and insulating endsQ."V At proper intervalsalong each of the sides lare located vertical angle irons. 3, to which-are suitably attached my' sup portin Imeans comprising erforated strips l in w ich Dare located hol ow insulators 5. fA- plurality of electric conductors or resistors 6 are shown as secured to the ends 2 and threaded through the respective sets .of alined insulators'. 4.

My improved support for electric conl uctors com `rises a strip or-sheet of material 4,

preferab y of metal, that is provided 'with a against, or rests upon,.t

* tions 8 of .the insulators 5, thereby 'securely number of perforations 7 inwhich the. insuinsulators 5 is provided with an enlarged middle portion or fiange 8y which bears e strip member 4 and aids in securin the insulator in' sition.' The member over langes 9 -which enc ose,"or bear against the outer sides of the enlarged middle porfaste the insulators in position` in the perforatlons 7 ofthe member 4.

2.b fig. 1, I have shown a resistance boxv` is rovilded'with ent- The insulator employed in my device may be composed of any suitableinsulating material, such as clay, glass, etc., and is rovided with a central hole 10, through w ich the corresponding resistor or electric conductor 6 may be threaded. Y

Inl constructing my invention, a strip or sheet of material is first provided with suitable p'erforations and its edges arethen partially bent over to form flanges. 'Insulators I are then placed 1n the erforations and the flanges are bent 'over arther so that they bear snugly against theenlargedsmiddle portions of the insulators and hold them securely in position in the per:forations.-

Although I have shown and'described a preferred embodiment of my invention it will be understood that changes in, or substitution for, various parts, as well as other arrangements and cooperation maybe effectled withinthescope of the invention, as set forth in theappen'ded claims.

Iclaim as my invention: i 1. A supportfor electric conductors comprising an insulator havin an enlarged middle portion, and a. rigi member provided with a erforation in which the ins-- lator is locate a straight ed e o fsaid'member constituting a bent-over an ejthat bears against the middle portion ofvit e insulator to retain it in position in theperforation.

2.. A support for electric conductors comprising insulators haying' enlar ed middle portions, and a strip provided with perforations in which the lnsulators are located,x

each edge of said strieconstituting a single bent-over flan e that ars against the middleportion's o the insulators to retain them in position'in the perforations.

3. A support for electric conductors comprising an insulator having an enlarged mid. dle portion, and a sheet member provided lators 5 areseated"or located. Each of the ALLIs M. MAOFABLAND. 

